Tim Robbins and Ron Shelton on “2 Bull 2 Durham”

Rumors of a sequel to Bull Durham have been swirling lately, and writer/director Ron Shelton and star Tim Robbins have clarified some of those whispers while commemorating the film’s 20th anniversary at the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown. Here’s what they had to say about the whys and wherefores of what’s happened to Nuke Laloosh (Robbins), Crash Davis (Kevin Costner) and Annie Savoy (Susan Sarandon).

Shelton: For 20 years I have said no to a sequel. For the last year we’ve been talking about it. I used to say ‘You can’t do a sequel 20 years later.’ Then the fact that it’s 20 years later started to intrigue me.

Robbins: “I actually told Ron this idea a couple of months ago. (Nuke) hurt his arm. I want the sequel to open with him at one of those trade shows signing autographs.

Shelton: And you pan from Pete Rose and all these guys getting $350 and $500 an autograph, and there’s Nuke and he’s getting 15 bucks. And he’s really steamed about it because (he was supposed) to get 25. My view of his major-league career is he went up there and in his second year in the majors he was 18-4. In his third year he was 4-18. It was a sort of an unrealized career in which we saw glimpses of his greatness.

[Crash Davis] is now managing Durham in Triple A, back with a (major-league) dream alive again. I think he’s kept this wonderful hot relationship with Annie, who probably has the Faulkner Chair in Oxford, Miss.

Robbins: Crash and Annie find him [Nuke] in the middle of a drunken stupor in the middle of his hotel room or something and bring him back to the majors by teaching him how to throw a knuckleball.

Would that work for you as a sequel to one of the best baseball movies ever made?